In Honor Of Father's Day, We Pick Our 10 Favorite TV Dads

Happy Father's Day, guys!

This Father's Day, we'd like to give a shout out to the 10 best dads on TV. These are men we grew up watching or who we still love catching up with every week. They're the dads who taught us important life lessons, who made us laugh and who picked up our favorite characters when they fell down. The qualities that make these guys the best dads on television are the same as those that make a great dad in real life. They're kind, understanding, caring and always there for their kids. Sure, sometimes they might be a little goofy or embarrassing, but these fathers have all earned a special place in every TV lover's heart. They're welcome on our screens anytime.

Phil Dunphy, 'Modern Family'

Phil might be a total goof, but he loves his family more than anything — even if the only way he knows how to show it is by trying to act more like his kids' friend than their parent. Hey, there are worse things.

Honorable mentions: Jay Pritchett, Mitchell Pritchett, Cameron Tucker

Danny Tanner, 'Full House'

Danny is raising three daughters by himself, so of course he tends to be a little overprotective. But he has Uncle Joey and Uncle Jesse to balance out his neuroses, so D.J., Stephanie and Michelle could grow up with three great dads. Can't beat that.

Honorable mentions: Jesse Katsopolis, Joey Gladstone

Sandy Cohen, 'The O.C.'

Sandy is such a good dad, he even takes in a kid who's not his own, but who is clearly in need of help. Sandy is the moral center at the heart of The O.C., and by the end of the show it was clear he had made a real difference in the lives of his two sons, Ryan and Seth, as well as the rest of his community.

Uncle Phil, 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'

You don't need to be someone's biological father to be a great dad. Will came to live with the Bankses after "a couple of guys who were up to no good started making trouble in [his] neighborhood." Will's Uncle Phil is from a completely different world and at first he's not so thrilled at the new addition to his household. But soon Phil makes room in his heart for his nephew and ends up being the father Will never had.

Burt Hummel, 'Glee'

No, we're not crying as we think about Burt Hummel. We just have something in our eye ... and allergies ... and we're peeling onions. Burt represents one of the best examples of how a parent — even someone as unfamiliar with LGBT people as an auto mechanic from Ohio — can embrace their gay and lesbian children wholeheartedly.

Crosby Braverman, 'Parenthood'

When Parenthood first begins, Crosby doesn't even know he has a kid until his ex-girlfriend, Jasmine, and their son, Jabbar, turn up. The transition from immature record producer to caring parent isn't easy for Crosby, but he fully commits himself to his family and he learns to love being a dad. By the end of the show, he and Jasmine even have a baby girl.

Honorable mention: Adam Braverman, Zeek Braverman, Joel Graham

Ned Stark, 'Game of Thrones'

Ned starts the series as the Lord of Winterfell and being in charge of most of the North can be a lot of pressure. Still, he makes time to teach all his children the most important rules of leadership: to be both fair and strong, and to always put your small folk first. He even includes his bastard Jon Snow in his family, which isn't exactly common practice in Westeros.

Michael Dawson, 'Lost'

When Oceanic Flight 815 crash lands on a mysterious, seemingly deserted island, all the passengers want desperately to get back to civilization. But Michael is the only one with a child, so he's the most determined of all. He's willing to do anything, even betray the other passengers, to get Walt back to safety — and, in fact, he ends up being the first one to make it back to civilization, with his son.

Stu Pickles, 'Rugrats'

Stu might only exist in two dimensions, but that doesn't preclude him from being a great father to his kids, Tommy and Dill. He invents toys for a living, so the sons always have fun new gadgets to play with — and Stu is more than happy to try them out along with his toddlers.

Honorable mention: Chas Finster

Eric Taylor, 'Friday Night Lights'

Like we said, not all dads are biological. Eric has two daughters, Julie and Gracie, but he's also the surrogate father for many of the Dylan Panthers football players. He's strict and doesn't take any nonsense, but he teaches his boys discipline, hard work and collaboration. And he makes sure they know he cares.